Chapter 4

I knew I had been hit even before I felt the pain. Time continued to pass by slow and I saw everything. I saw the horror in the eyes of Adora and Lily. I felt myself falling to the ground, the blood pouring out of my side. I could hear the shouts from everyone but the one that was the most clear to me was Sam. He had been hit too and was now on the ground, crying out in pain. I was aware of myself whimpering, but it didn't seem to matter. Something stirred in me at the sight of Sam in pain, his brother at his side. It dawned on me that Sam was all Dean had, just like Adora was all I had. I thought that maybe Dean was right, that me and Adora were monsters that needed to be killed. But in that moment, Lily came into my line of sight and the look on her face brought me to my senses. We were not monsters. We saved people. I had a reason to live and would fight for that reason. But at that moment, I was brought out of my thoughts by a fierce growl.

I looked up and saw that Adora had changed into her wolf form. Hatred and a desire to kill filled her eyes. Her fur was standing on end and her lips were curled up in a snarl that belonged to a predator. Droll hung from her mouth like some feral wolf. Adora growled once more before charging at the Winchesters. Dean faced the giant wolf and they both started to fight. I knew Dean wouldn't last long, not with Adora in the state she was in. I got up on my feet, clutching my side that still bled. Panic filled me and I tried to call out to her.

"ADORA! STOP! THIS ISN'T YOU!"

She didn't hear me and soon, she had the older Winchester pinned to ground. Dean was already unconscious but Adora wanted him dead. She was about to lunge at his throat when the cock of a gun stopped her. I looked towards the sound and saw Sam. He was still on the ground, his chest still bleeding, but he had his brothers fallen gun pointed at Adora. His eyes were full of blood lust and his fear-scent was powerful. Adora turned her head to face him. I don't think she was even thinking straight. All she saw was the gun pointed at her, a threat. She growled menacingly before charging at him.

"NO!"

I couldn't let Adora kill Sam. She would only prove what Dean thought. Even though my side was badly wounded, I started to run after Adora. I changed into my wolf form, covering more ground. With my mind set on protecting Sam, my speed picked up and soon, I was right behind Adora. Knowing that just running wouldn't get me to Sam, I jumped ahead of her and landed in front of Sam. I stood over him, like a dog protecting something that was theirs, and growled at Adora.

She stopped immediately. My side was bleeding more profusely now and I had to lock my legs so they wouldn't shake. I was panting heavily and in no way able to fight but none the less I kept up the charade. Adora was about to charge me as well but something in her eyes changed from murder to realization.

...Danny? She spoke to me.

Don't do this, Adora! Don't hurt them, you'll only be proving their point!

They-they tried to kill you! Now you're defending them!?

I shot her a look of determination. Sam was breathing heavily behind me, confused at the silent conversation he was witnessing. Adora held her lips up for a while, unsure of whether to attack me, Dean or rush past me and try to get to Sam. I saw the cogs turning in her head. When they snapped back to murder I feared I had failed to protect her from making a grave mistake.

Fortunately something happened I would have never expected. Lily ran out of no where wrapping her tiny arms around Adora and burying her face in her neck. Adora's eyes flew open wider than ever. She didn't breathe, a look of pure surprise and confusion on her face. She looked over at Lily and even gave her shoulder a shrug to try and shake the child off. It didn't work and Lily held on tighter.

"Please don't hurt anybody!" She screamed, her words muffled around Adora's fur. "I don't wanna see anybody else die!"

Lily's words were enough to make even me drop my guard. This poor girl had probably just lost her father and seen the closest thing she'd ever had to a home burn to the ground with the hordes that attacked everyone she knew. Now the people who had pulled her from the fire were fighting for their lives. This little girl was only eight and she had seen so much carnage. It's no wonder she couldn't watch anymore.

Adora changed back into human form. Lily kept her grip on her, clinging to her midriff. Adora's arms slowly wrapped around the small body. "Lily… You shouldn't have interfered. What if you had gotten hurt?" She spoke without any of the hostility she had for the Winchester brothers and instead her voice was something of a worried mother.

"I don't care! I don't want to watch people die anymore!" I could hear the sobs coming from her parted lips. "I know that my dad is dead, I know my friends are dead but I can't lose the people who saved my life too!"

I was astounded. I hadn't realized that Lily was so aware of not only her situation but everyone else's as well. I had hoped we could keep her hope alive for her father as least for a little while, she was too smart for that though.

"You saved her?" A quiet question came from Sam behind me. Still in wolf form, I turned to him and nodded my head. "You didn't kidnap her…" The words came out a breathless sigh. Like something he just realized that went against what he believed.

Adora got angry all over again. "Of course we didn't!" She held onto the crying Lily with a passion I'd never seen her have. Her eyes threw flaming daggers at Sam. "We're not monsters!" She screamed.

"I can't believe it." Dean had woken up, now he stood above Adora, his guns gone but a silver knife in his hands. Adora moved so that she sheltered Lily with her body, her back turned to Dean.

"Dean, no!" Sam shouted, trying to stand up but the pain kept him grounded.

"We don't kill people. We're hunters...just like you." Adora tried to reason with him. He still held the knife to the nape of her neck and seemed unwilling to move.

"DEAN!" Sam shouted, and for a second got Dean's attention. Adora took advantage of this distraction. She pushed Lily to the ground and with a fluid movement kicked the knife out of Deans hands. She stood up and aimed a punch which Dean dodged. Dean engaged her in a fight. They went back and forth, one throwing a punch or two before the other one regained their ground and counter attacked.

I couldn't do anything but watch, the pain from the bullet wound filled my mind until it was unbearable. Lily was horror stricken yet again, she turned to me with hopeless eyes. Sam must have noticed because he was kneeling beside me.

He pushed a wad of cloth onto my wound and applied pressure. "What about you?" I asked reaching up to touch the wound on his chest. I saw under his ripped shirt, the entry wound, the blood. Not for the first time I thought how alike we are. Both of us held onto something precious in this hunter world, something that made every day worth living. Both of us just wanted to see those people we cared about make peace.

The more Adora and Dean went back and forth for a long time, longer than I thought they could. Until both of them were panting, dripping with sweat and moved sluggishly through the exhaustion. The longer this went on the more I saw Sam's eyes unfocus. I took the cloth off my wound, which had stopped bleeding and pushed it to his.

"You need a doctor." I said, keeping the already bloody cloth pushed on the wound.

He grimaced. "I'm fine." I must have pushed a little too hard because he nearly collapsed from pain.

"No you're not!" I stood up, keeping my hand pressed to the cloth and grabbing his arm. "C'mon, I'll be damned if you die here!"

Sam let me help him up, even wrapped an arm around my neck for support. Dean and Adora stopped their fighting for a second to comprehend that I was leaving with Sam.

"Sammy!" Dean called but Sam didn't answer him. I looked up and saw the anguish on Sam's face. He was in pain, not just from the bullet wound but from leaving his brother.

"Danny!" Adora called and she ran up to us, putting a hand on her shoulder she attempted to stop me, I kept walking. "Where are you going?"

"To a hospital! Sam needs a doctor!" I spat without looking at her. I usually wasn't so stubborn but when it comes to the ones close to me being hurt nothing would stop me from helping them. it wasn't as if Sam and I were all that close either. We had literally only met weeks ago one time in an alleyway after his brother tried to kill us. Yet somehow, I felt a connection to him. A connection that spanned football fields. It was a connection Adora could not compete with.

I thought we had left Adora and Dean by the burned lodge when they suddenly appeared at our sides. Dean grabbed Sam's other arm and supported his little brother without even a glance in my direction. Adora did the same with me, not bothering to look at Dean but casting me a look of support. I let a little laugh escape my lips...and let them help us to safety, Lily trailing behind the whole way.